Yavapai County Arizona Historical Markers

The hotel opened March 1, 1907, and was built of steel and concrete in the Mission Style of Spanish architecture. The hotel covered a space of 420 X 200. Cost was approximately $115,000.
On the ground floor of the structure was the lunch room . . . — Map (db m33499) HM

Ash Fork is located near the 35th Parallel where, in the 1850's the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers began surveying a future railroad route. Camels were imported and used as beasts of burden, adding to the colorful history of the region. A . . . — Map (db m33442) HM

Built circa 1926-27
by the Arizona Department
of Transportation
This building constructed of Moenkopi Sandstone, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Ash Fork Camp location was selected because it is a . . . — Map (db m33443) HM

Ashfork, Arizona
Founded 1882
The Coming of Route “66”
1926
Ash Fork was a junction point of the Old Trails (Route 66) and the Grand Canyon – Nogales Highways (US 89), leading to the southern sections of the state. . . . — Map (db m33502) HM

Cypress Copper ― Bagdad Corporation
In memory of
WJ. Pace and J.M. Murphy
Who filed the Bagdad claim January 1, 1882;
John Lawler who patented the claim in
1889; and the Lincoln family who developed
the mine. — Map (db m31552) HM

Mining was the lure that opened Arizona to Anglo-American settlement and, subsequently, led to its statehood. However, Arizona mining began with the Spanish discovery of the rich Planchas de Plata silver deposits just west of Nogales in 1736. In . . . — Map (db m40777) HM

A colorful administrator, he is credited with establishing the basic location of Arizona's billion-dollar Interstate Highway System. He served as State Engineer twice, from 1924 to 1928 and from 1945 to 1951.
He devoted much of his final term to . . . — Map (db m40780) HM

The Crook Road begins at this point
with the first in a series of mile markers
across the Mogollon Rim segment of the
military supply trail connecting Forts
Whipple, Verde and Apache. Reconnoitered
in 1871 by General George Crook with a . . . — Map (db m28561) HM

The oldest settlement in the Verde Valley. Site of historic Fort Verde. The first settlers came into the valley in February, 1865, followed by the military in August, 1865. Original military and historic buildings still stand. — Map (db m40814) HM

The Mythology of a Western Fort
Fort Verde is typical of western forts built in the 1870's and 1880's but our vision of forts comes from movies. Log stockades with towers and John Wayne fearlessly firing his rifle at attacking Indians. The . . . — Map (db m40815) HM

The following named individuals were assigned, either permanently or temporarily, to Camp Verde, Arizona Territory. While stationed here their personal action in combat was above and beyond the call of duty, earning them the nation's highest . . . — Map (db m28593) HM

Site of original Camp Whipple established December 1863
From January 22 to May 18, 1864 the offices of the Territorial Government of Arizona were operated from tents and log cabins here, before being moved to Prescott the first permanent . . . — Map (db m33444) HM

Clarkdale was planned, owned and developed by William A. Clark of Montana, owner of the United Verde Copper Company on Cleopatra Hill in Jerome. In 1911 Clark decided to change from the extraction process of mining to an "open pit" method. Because . . . — Map (db m33200) HM

The U.V.C.C. Clarkdale smelter was built through the vision of William A. Clark, owner of the United Verde Mine in Jerome. The Smelter was constructed between 1912-1915 to replace the outdated Jerome smelter.
On May 26, 1915 the first furnace . . . — Map (db m33199) HM

In 1863 Pauline Weaver and Abraham Peeples came from California to find gold. They found gold and the rush was on. In 1887 The Congress mine was formed and the town had a name. On March 14, 1895 the railroad came. Congress was booming. In 1910, . . . — Map (db m59977) HM

In 1890 James and Adeline Hall purchased 130 acres here above the junction of the Agua Fria River and Lynx Creek. The Halls named their homestead "Orchard Ranch" and, with the help of their children, Sharlot and Ted, produced apples and beef. . . . — Map (db m33059) HM

Before the Bartlett Hotel, the Grandview Hotel, a wooden structure built in 1895 stood here as the first two-story building in Jerome. It had rooms for dances, dining and sleeping. In 1898 the structure was destroyed by fire. The Bartlett Hotel was . . . — Map (db m33166) HM

This native stone and brick building was built in 1898. David Connor, proprietor, was an Irish-American who originally owned the Stone Saloon on the site of this hotel. In 1897 he added the second floor and called his building the Hotel Connor. . . . — Map (db m33155) HM

With Jerome's rough and tumble early days came the red-light district and prostitutes. Much of the red-light district was located on Hull Avenue, the road below Main Street. In 1913, reformers helped pass an ordinance restricting houses of ill fame . . . — Map (db m33154) HM

This building was originally a brothel known as Jennie's Place. It was built in 1898 by Legendary Madam Belgian Jennie Bauters, who came to Jerome from Belgium in 1896.
This was her third building on this site. The first burned down in 1897. Her . . . — Map (db m33152) HM

This is one of the two old furnaces found in place on The Hampton Lode, United Verde Copper Company Mines, at Jerome Arizona on March 5, 1888 when I first visited the property. I started operation on this furnace and also the other one on May 22, . . . — Map (db m33147) HM

The original Jerome Town Hall was built in the late 1800s. The town quickly outgrew the small space and by 1929 a bond had passed to enlarge the old brick building. New construction was to be of concrete. In addition to enlarging town hall, a police . . . — Map (db m33145) HM

The first mining claims were filed in 1876, within 20 years Jerome was a billion dollar copper mecca and one of the wildest, wickedest mining towns in the west. Drinking, gambling, brawls and frolicking with ladies of the night occurred . . . — Map (db m33149) HM

Back in 1905, the town jail was in the basement of what was then the Tony Kauzlarich House below the Dicus and Wagner Garage. Louis St. James was the magistrate and conservator of the peace.
What is believed to be Jerome's 3rd jail was located . . . — Map (db m71963) HM

Laura Williams owned the antique museum which housed numerous artifacts from Jerome. Laura was one of the founding members of the Jerome Historical Society and served as the Secretary/Treasurer from 1953-1974. She was an employee of Newmont . . . — Map (db m33189) HM

You are standing at the second story entrance to what once was a three story primary school. The land was purchased, a bond was passed and construction began in 1913. It opened May 29, 1914 to graduate 3 seniors: Francis Lyons, Gertrude Rothermel . . . — Map (db m33191) HM

The mine museum, one of Jerome's oldest commercial buildings, was purchased by J.S. Hoover and A.C. Cordiner from G.A. Stoney in 1896. The building was destroyed in a fire in 1898. An architect from Los Angles built the present building with steel . . . — Map (db m33157) HM

The New State Motor Company building was built of concrete in 1918 under the ownership of Dan Shea. A car dealership and show room were located upstairs and a garage downstairs. Inside the building an elevator delivered cars to the lower floor. A . . . — Map (db m33151) HM

This saloon was built in 1899 to replace the original structure that was destroyed by fire. It operated as the Senate Saloon with a Chinese restaurant downstairs. It soon became the largest gambling establishment in the southwest. During prohibition . . . — Map (db m33164) HM

This one-half story wood frame structure with corrugated sheet metal was built in the 1920's. It was the Reese and Amster White Garage and Machine Shop. Vehicles sold by Reese and Amster included the Chrysler 50, 60 and 70 and the Maxwell Car, which . . . — Map (db m33150) HM

Built in 1917, the first floor of this four-story apartment, housed the Independent Meat Company. A passage was built from the cooler of the meat company up to the apartments to allow cool air to pass into them. Originally there were nine . . . — Map (db m33190) HM

The Gibson Market was originally built as a grocery store with an above apartment in 1917 by James and Ethel Hamilton. After Ethel's husband died in the flu epidemic of 1918, she was the sole proprietor until 1929. In 1919, Ethel married Myron L. . . . — Map (db m33192) HM

In 1896, one of the first wooden structures built in Jerome occupied this site and was known as "The Saloon". The Saloon building survived two years before succumbing to fire, which destroyed most of Jerome in 1898. The structure was rebuilt only to . . . — Map (db m33165) HM

Carl E.C. Whitten, graduate of Jerome High School and son of immigrant parents, worked for the Prescott Evening Courier before moving back to Jerome in 1927. Carl purchased the Verde Copper News which began in Jerome in 1917. He purchased the . . . — Map (db m33163) HM

In the late 1800's, Thomas Earnhart erected the Kirkland Store on the site of today's Kirkland Bar and Steakhouse.
In the early 1900's, Louis Haselfeld assumed ownership and opened the Haselfeld Store. The original wood frame building burned in . . . — Map (db m33046) HM

Lifeline
Beaver Creek has always been a major focus of life in the Verde Valley. Prehistoric Sinagua farmers constructed Montezuma Castle and other structures near the creek. They dug ditches to carry creek water to irrigate the fields of . . . — Map (db m40868) HM

Could This Stone Be The Opening to a Macaw Pen?
Where Did This Stone Come From?
Who Used It?
Why Is This Stone at Montezuma Castle?
Did the Ancient Sinaguans Possibly
Raise Macaws Here?
In the 15th century, near modern-day Casa . . . — Map (db m40895) HM

A farming community of perhaps 200 people prospered here for more than three centuries. The Castle was home to 35 or so of these people. Archeologists suggest they may have fled what is today the Flagstaff area due to overpopulation around A.D. . . . — Map (db m40840) HM

The Neighborhood
You can see Montezuma Castle and Castle A from here. If you look closely at the Cliffside, you might spot other ledges and caves used by the Sinagua.
The Sinagua people who made their homes here may have been a . . . — Map (db m40869) HM

Heres another “castle” – this one called “A” by the archeologists who excavated it in the 1930s.
Like neighboring Montezuma Castle, Castle A was occupied by Sinagua farmers between A.D. 1200 and 1450. However, with . . . — Map (db m40863) HM

The Way Up
How in the world do you build a structure large enough to house 35 people high up on a steep canyon wall? Sound impossible? Heres how Montezuma Castles ingenious Sinagua farmers managed it.
Construction Sequence
1. . . . — Map (db m40860) HM

Pause a few moments to enjoy this view of Montezuma Castle. Don't you suppose it must have stopped the settlers and soldiers who first saw the cliff-dwelling over a century ago?
The odd name came from a mistaken belief that the cliff-dwelling . . . — Map (db m40819) HM

Territory of Arizona
MCMX ― MCMXI
Home for Aged and Infirm Arizona Pioneers
Established by act of the Twenty-Fifth Legislature under the administration of Governor Joseph H. Kibbey.
Erected under the direction of the Board . . . — Map (db m33047) HM

Originally this was the site of A.G. Dunn's Butcher Shop, which provided fresh locally grown beef from Dunn's ranch. This was followed by Hubbard's drug store which was later owned by W.W.Ross. The drug store was purchased by Harry Brisley in 1899. . . . — Map (db m20292) HM

Coles Bashford arrived in Prescott in 1864 and was the first President of the Territorial Legislature. In 1874, Coles, his brother Levi, and son William formed a partnership with Robert Burmister. The Bashford-Burmister Company became one of the . . . — Map (db m18806) HM

Citizens Cemetery was founded in early June 1864 with the burial of Colorado legislator Joel Woods. Established on public land east of Prescott and southwest of Fort Whipple, the cemetery has been known at various times as “Town . . . — Map (db m21668) HM

This Romanesque/Classical Revival building was constructed in 1895 and served as both a fire station (on the first floor) and the City jail (on the second). It is one of the two buildings facing the Courthouse Plaza that survived the fire of 1900. . . . — Map (db m33090) HM

Since 1908, the area of Prescott now known as Ken Lindley Field has been used as a public park and ballfield. The land was deeded to the City of Prescott by Charles T. and Ada M. Joslin in 1922. As Mrs. Joslin requested, the City later donated part . . . — Map (db m21161) HM

There was a time when progress in Yavapai County was spelled S-P-A-R-K-E-S. Grace M. Sparkes came to Prescott, Arizona Territory, at the age of 14 in 1906. By 1911, she was working for the Yavapai County Chamber of Commerce as Secretary, a job she . . . — Map (db m33137) HM

American History in Arizona is quite recent, although the history of the Native American, Spanish and Mexican occupation periods are much older. Encampments of Native Americans were drawn to the creeks, which offered a fairly reliable source of . . . — Map (db m33064) HM

After ten years of planning, community leaders of Prescott finally raised sufficient funds to build a modern hotel which catered to the "auto tourist" in downtown Prescott -- The Hassayampa Inn. On February 28, 1927, at the site of the former Conner . . . — Map (db m20621) HM

Colonel C. P. Head was in the hardware business in Prescott by about 1866. By 1875, Colonel Head was involved in several businesses including hardware, lumber and a hotel. He served in the territorial House of Representatives from Yavapai County for . . . — Map (db m20296) HM

The cornerstone of historic "Whiskey Row", the Hotel St. Michael, represents the coming of age of Prescott's hostelries. Constructed on the site of the modest Hotel Burke, which burned in 1900, the new three-story hotel was designed by D. W. Millard . . . — Map (db m33065) HM

The Hotel Vendome, referred to in a contemporary newspaper article as an "apartment house", was built on South Cortez Street in 1917 by J. B. Jones. An article in Yavapai Magazine in November 1917 refers to it as the "Hotel Vendome" and states "its . . . — Map (db m18862) HM

J. I. Gardner came to Prescott with a pack train in 1879 and opened his first mercantile store in 1883. The J. I. Gardner Store was built on this corner in 1890. Gardner's motto was "all goods guaranteed to be first class". They carried every type . . . — Map (db m41960) HM

With the exception of the Courthouse, the Knights of Pythias Building, also known as the Tilton Building, has always been the tallest building on the Plaza at 46 feet. It was dedicated on November 27, 1895, and is one of the few buildings that . . . — Map (db m21625) HM

In early 1908, the Prescott School Board decided that a new school was needed in Prescott. On July 12, 1908, a school bond election was held and approved by the voters 119-1. In August 1908, the three acre site on Park Avenue on the west side of . . . — Map (db m33049) HM

The one hundred block of South Montezuma Street has long been known as "Whiskey Row" for the numerous saloons which once lined the street. As Prescott poet Gail Gardner once wrote of "Whiskey Row":
"Oh they starts her in at the Kaintucky bar, At . . . — Map (db m20622) HM

Originally a part of the Capitol Block, which was set aside in 1864 for a Territorial Capitol Building, the south half of the block was sold at auction. John Lawler, a miner, capitalist and real estate developer, bought the entire block and built a . . . — Map (db m20618) HM

Pioneer  Prospector  Scout  Guide
Pauline Weaver
Truly a Great Man
Born in Tennessee in 1800
Died at Camp Verde
June 21, 1867
He was born, lived and died on the frontier of this country, always in the ever advancing westward . . . — Map (db m33051) HM

Known as Prescott's first citizen, Weaver was a trapper, miner, Army Scout and friend of the Indians.
He was camped near this spot in 1863 and 1864 when gold miners and government officials first entered the area. — Map (db m33052) HM

As early as 1865, Lucian Bonaparte Jewell organized a Brass Band in Prescott, but by the 1870s the regimental bands from Ft. Whipple began to dominate the local music scene. The original Plaza Bandstand, built in the late 1800s, had survived the . . . — Map (db m59299) HM

Founded 1864 on Granite Creek, early source of placer gold. Former territorial capital of Arizona. Now a center for ranching, mining, health, especially asthma relief. Located here on site of old Ft. Whipple is Whipple Veterans Hospital. Seat of . . . — Map (db m20298) HM

Three very prominent buildings once stood on East Gurley Street between Alarcon and Marina Streets – The Territorial Capital Building, Prescott High School and the Yavapai Club.
Originally, the property between Alarcon and Marina streets . . . — Map (db m33095) HM

The Prescott National Bank was organized by William Bashford, R.N. Fredericks and others in March, 1893. In October, 1900 Bank President Frank N. Murphy announced the construction of a new bank building on the "Old Wooster Block" at Prescott's . . . — Map (db m27224) HM

Prescott was one of the first towns in Arizona to have a National Guard Unit. Companies B and C of the First Territorial Rifles were organized in Prescott in 1865 and Company M of the First Arizona Infantry was organized in 1910. Company M of the . . . — Map (db m33136) HM

Prescott's modern public library was dedicated on May 18, 1975. However, the history of a public library in Prescott goes back to August 1895, when seven local ladies founded the Women's Club of Prescott (now the Monday Club). They gathered a . . . — Map (db m52912) HM

The City of Prescott had its beginnings in the Spring of 1863 when a party of explorers and would-be gold miners led by the famed Joseph R. Walker arrived near the headwaters of the Hassayampa River. On May 10, 1863, at a location some six miles . . . — Map (db m20623) HM

The Ruffner Plaza Stables were built on this lot purchased from Frank Murphy for $3,600. In May 1898, a local newspaper reported that it was "one of the most substantial as well as ornamental improvements which has been put up for several . . . — Map (db m20297) HM

In the fall of 1878 the Sisters of St. Joseph came to Prescott. Money was raised in the community for a hospital to be run by the sisters and by 1881 the hospital had been completed on North Marina Street. In June of 1891 construction was started . . . — Map (db m21603) HM

Prescotts first railroad arrived on December 31, 1886. The current depot was built by the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway, also known as the “Peavine”, in 1907. Designed in the Mission Revival style of poured concrete with a . . . — Map (db m18767) HM

This is the site of the crossing' on the Mojave-Prescott "Hardyville" toll road. The road was authorized by the first territorial legislature and was built by W. H. Hardy, connecting Prescott with Hardyville on the Colorado River.
William John . . . — Map (db m72625) HM

George W. Curtis came to Prescott from California in 1864, and in 1867 purchased an interest in a sawmill. He purchased a building on Granite Creek on South McCormick Street, and he and his brother John enlarged and modified the building in 1878. . . . — Map (db m33062) HM

The Goldwater Brothers, Morris and Michael, arrived in Arizona from California in 1876. They opened one of the area's first general merchandising stores on the southeast corner of Cortez and Goodwin (where City Hall is now located). Three years . . . — Map (db m20616) HM

The southeast corner of Goodwin and Cortez Street was the site of Howey's Hall, which was built on the first lot sold (for $175) in Prescott by James Howey in 1876. The Goldwaters had their first mercantile store here. It was later converted to an . . . — Map (db m33092) HM

The courthouse you see today, constructed in 1916 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is not the original one on this site. The first courthouse constructed on the Plaza, one of two city blocks set aside in 1864 for government . . . — Map (db m18132) HM

A beautiful Victorian Cottage which faced East Sheldon Street was built on this site by W. B. Jones. On November 15, 1893, William Owen (Buckey) O'Neill and his wife Pauline moved into the house. O'Neill used a portion of the upstairs as his office . . . — Map (db m20619) HM

This free-spirited Son of the West, sensitive to the changing era in which he lived, portrayed the western epic in marble and bronze. Our "Bucky O'Neill" monumental bronze is among his greatest works, and is acclaimed by art critics as one of the . . . — Map (db m21165) HM

A bank was an important asset to a new and growing community. Chartered by Solomon Lewis and M. W. Kales in 1877, the Bank of Arizona was the first business in the Arizona Territory devoted exclusively to banking. The partners built a two-story . . . — Map (db m20295) HM

Prescott's first library consisted of over 300 volumes brought to the Territory in 1864 by Secretary of State Richard C. McCormick. In 1870, a group of local women opened a reading room with 263 books collected from local citizens and out-of-town . . . — Map (db m20814) HM

The Day Octagon is the oldest known fired brick building in Arizona. Built in 1877 by Lowell and Crouch for Dr. Warren E. Day, it is significant as the first surgical hospital in Arizona Territory, where Dr. Day pulled teeth, delivered babies, . . . — Map (db m33138) HM

A disastrous fire on the night of July 14, 1900 changed the face of downtown Prescott. Starting in a room in the Scopel Hotel on the southwest corner of Goodwin and Montezuma Streets, the fire quickly hopped across Goodwin Street and proceeded to . . . — Map (db m20811) HM

The International Society of Arboriculture and the National Arborist Association jointly recognize this significant tree in this bicentennial year as having lived here during the American Revolutionary Period. 1776 1976.
[Added brass . . . — Map (db m18861) HM

Completed in August 1901, the Mulvenon Building was one of the first buildings constructed after the fire of 1900. It replaced a one-story wood-frame saloon building which was destroyed in the fire. Built by William J. Mulvenon, who arrived in . . . — Map (db m20615) HM

The exact age of Prescott's Palace Saloon is something of a puzzle. The first reliable documentation is an item from the September 21, 1877 Arizona Weekly Miner: "Mess'rs Shaw and Standefer have fitted up the Palace Saloon in the most superb . . . — Map (db m21163) HM

Founded in Jan. 1921 and named after the famous Rough Rider William "Bucky" O'Neill, the post is the oldest active VFW post in Arizona. Born Feb. 2, 1860 in St. Louis, Missouri, his many accomplishments include being a Lawyer, Judge, Sheriff, Editor . . . — Map (db m68732) HM

The first public school in Prescott was opened in 1867. In 1876 a four-room brick public school building was erected here. It was known as the "Prescott Free Academy". In 1903 that building was torn down and replaced by Washington School. Washington . . . — Map (db m33094) HM

Founded in 1864, Prescott is Arizona's Mile High City and seat of Yavapai County government. Named for historian William Hickling Prescott, it was established on the banks of Granite Creek in 1864.
Today it is the home to the Bob Stump VA . . . — Map (db m33042) HM

By the early 1870s a full block of saloons, gambling halls and hotels made this the wildest part of town. Some of the saloons brewed their own beer and most drinks sold for 12½ (cents) each. On July 14, 1900 a disastrous fire swept the Row and . . . — Map (db m21164) HM

Cleator was established in 1884 as a placer gold mining site in the Turkey Creek Mining District. A post office opened in July of 1869, but closed a few months later. James Cleator came to Arizona in 1900 to prospect in the Bradshaw mountains. In . . . — Map (db m74224) HM

A cool canyon sanctuary at the confluence of two creeks
Mayhew Lodge, constructed of hand-smoothed logs and adorned with a towering rock chimney, was a rustic retreat attracting politicians, and movie stars. But this grand lodge had . . . — Map (db m99273) HM

The first burial occurred on this site in 1918. Henry Elmer Cook established the cemetery in 1933 as part of his 160 acre homestead. Many members of Sedona pioneer families are buried here including the city's namesake, Sedona Schnebly. — Map (db m94833) HM

From 1857 to 1860 Lt. Edward F. Beale and a crew of 100 men built the first federal highway in the southwest. The 1857 Beale Expedition used 22 camels and dromedaries for pack animals. This road went from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, . . . — Map (db m32206) HM